The world of cereal and art do not necessarily go hand-in-bowl. But don’t tell that to Reese’s Puffs or artist Kaws because the two have teamed up for an art- and gaming-themed promotion based on the artist’s popular Companion character.
This month, the cereal brand and artist are releasing KawsPuffs, an AR game that can be accessed via two limited-edition boxes designed by the Kaws. One box features the brand’s signature orange color and includes a QR code to access the game. A second, limited-edition box will be blue and only available through a dedicated website beginning on November 17.
“Our consumers are young culture-makers with interests across art, music, gaming and beyond,” said Mindy Murray, senior manager of brand experience at General Mills. “Partnering with Kaws gave us the opportunity to engage with his superfans, as well as highlight a creative artist that [our consumers] already loved.”
The specially designed orange boxes are in stores now, selling for a suggested price of $3.99. The limited-edition blue boxes will be available through the website at a price of $49.99. Fans will also have the chance to win one of the limited-edition boxes signed by the artist by achieving high scores in the AR game.
General Mills worked with agency Anomaly LA and Kaws (and his longtime collaborator Acute Art) to adapt the game for the AR experience, Murray said. Gameplay involves crunching cereal pieces as they fall from the sky. The pieces fall faster as the game progresses, but players can achieve power-ups to boost their abilities. Once the player misses three pieces, the game is over and the player’s icon sings into a bowl of milk.
“I’ve had a lot of fun teaming up with Reese’s Puffs on this project,” Kaws said in a statement. “I think this offers a new way to enjoy Companion and I hope people enjoy seeing him on his first cereal box.”
The collaboration continues a trend for the General Mills cereal brand, which has teamed with music artists Lil Yachty to remix the brand’s “Reese’s Puffs Rap” and Tinashe, who used the product’s RP-FX playbox to teach music production.
“Reese’s Puffs cereal aims to be a brand that is forward-thinking and relevant in culture, which is why we like to team up with artists who align with those ideals,” Murray said. “In partnering with these artists, we put their area of creativity first to make sure the collab was authentic and created an experience that Reese’s Puffs fans continue to be excited to see.”
General Mills will be touting the collaboration through its social media channels, and is sending specially designed boxes and information to influencers across culture, gaming, and tech.
